Built on Dreams, Grounded in Reality: Economic Policy Reform in the Philippines
That “politics matters” in development is canonical. The challenge confronting development agencies and practitioners is incorporating dynamic and complex political realities. Based on case studies of Philippine economic sectors, Built on Dreams, Grounded in Reality contributes to our understanding of reform and what international organizations can do to foster institutional change.
With a foreword by noted development author, Dr. Adrian Leftwich, the book gives an inside view of the political battles of five successful reforms: introducing competition in sea transport, civil aviation, and telecommunications; instituting the privatization of water service in the capital city; and introducing a law allowing faster titling of land. The book also documents two long-running reform efforts: improving tax administration and reforming the government corporation responsible for the stability of supply and price of rice, the staple of the Philippine diet. The book concludes with an operational approach to introducing reform called development entrepreneurship.
The book was published by The Asia Foundation with support from USAID and Australian Aid.
